ITS Monday: Edition 1, 2023

Why do traffic reduction schemes attract so many conspiracy theories?

This is a very good question! “Oxford’s traffic plan, they insist, is the first step in a global plot led by – depending on who you listen to – the World Economic Forum (WEF) or the UN, designed to strip people of their fundamental rights and personal possessions in the name of the environment.”

How listening to kids leads to better urban design

“The wise youth of Bloemhof are what public engagement specialists like to call “lived experience experts.” They are the people who use neighbourhood spaces and services on a daily basis, and who know what it feels like to experience a given space as a person of a particular age, gender, ability, race, or cultural background. Many of these experts are unlikely to show up to a typical public engagement event (what kid wants to attend a dull public hearing?) but we must not leave them out. We must find creative ways to meaningfully include all hard-to-reach community members.”

Mate, where’s my self-driving car?

“Industry experts warn the answer is not simple, with lingering questions about its safety and even its business model, a lack of suitable infrastructure, and serious consequences if the technology fails. Despite these questions, transport authorities are cautiously forging ahead with new regulations and a potential 2026 launch in Australia.”

Related iMOVE project: Ipswich Connected Vehicle Pilot: Final reports

Driving Sydney to Adelaide (and back) in an EV: Part one

“A long road trip, even by Australian standards, with thoughts on charging availability, range anxiety, flooded roads and driver etiquette, amongst other matters. Earlier this month, I went on a little road trip. You’ve already read the headline, you know where I went, and you’re probably well aware that “little” in this case involves crisscrossing roughly half of one of the world’s largest continents.”

Let buyers jump the queue for electric cars by importing them directly

From The Conversation, and written by two senior academics from the University of Queensland’s School of Economics. “Australian governments have done little, if anything, to encourage the transition to electric vehicles. Almost uniquely among developed countries, Australia has neither a carbon price nor vehicle fuel-efficiency standards.”

Why electric vehicles won’t be enough to rein in transport emissions any time soon

From The Conversation, written by Philip Laird, Honorary Principal Fellow, University of Wollongong. “There is a widespread view, implicitly encouraged in some states, that transport emissions can simply be reduced by more use of electric vehicles powered from renewable energy sources. On the contrary, reducing overall transport emissions will require policy reform and infrastructure investment on many fronts.”

Related iMOVE content: Developing a low/zero emission transport strategy for Australia and The Conductor Series: The electrification of transport

Charging queues set to drive change as EV road trips surge

Quotes from various EV charging spokespeople, along with the plans ahead for the rollout of (more) EV charging across the country.

Related iMOVE content: Electric vehicles: Supporting uptake, investigating smart charging

Fitzroy side street ‘ripe’ for a pedestrian-friendly makeover

“Palmer Street, which runs through to Nicholson Street in Carlton, is a prime candidate for another “shared” space experiment, says local architecture firm Blur, as part of a push for pedestrian priority on Melbourne’s laneways and narrow residential streets.” The proposal is uncosted, and has yet to be presented to council, so await a vigorous debate on this. As Thami Croeser, urban planner at the RMIT Centre for Urban Research notes, there is “still a huge fear of changing traffic or parking arrangements”.

Related iMOVE content: Your Street, Your Say: Better streets for Darebin

The promise of batteries that come from trees

The phrase, “Batteries don’t grow on trees” is about to be a little less correct. A company in Finland has had engineers investigate the possibility of using lignin, which represents 30% of the makeup of trees, in the construction of batteries.

Vehicle choice and use under alternative policy scenarios: What needs to be done to promote electric vehicle uptake and usage

A Working paper from Andrea Pellegrinia and , John Rose, from the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. “The aim of this study is to evaluate the determinants affecting two interrelated discrete and continuous decisions that households typically make when purchasing a new vehicle, consisting of vehicle type choice and their usage.”

Google’s HD map is coming to the Polestar 3 electric SUV

“On Thursday at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the electric vehicle maker Polestar announced that its forthcoming Polestar 3 SUV will be one of the first vehicles in the world to use Google’s new high-definition map.”

Related iMOVE project: HD mapping Australia’s CAV future: Final report

Update on Australian transport trends (December 2022)

Charting Transport‘s annual wrap-up of BITRE’s releases of transport metrics. Included are the crunched numbers from: driver’s licence ownership, car ownership, transport emissions, vehicle kilometres travelled, passenger kilometres travelled, rail passenger travel, mode split, freight, transport costs, and ‘What does all this mean for post-pandemic transport trends?’

Related iMOVE projects: Mapping Australian freight: SWOT analysis and Improving Australian supply chains through freight data: A report

‘Make it legal’: E-scooter rider Jan Baddeley wants her wheels back

“Privately owned e-scooters are illegal to use on Victorian roads even though they are a common sight and sold by major retailers including JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman, starting at $500 with some high-powered models costing more than $6000.”

Call for changes to e-scooter rules after latest crashes

The opening sentence of this piece is oh so very true: “A “patchwork” of conflicting laws governing electric scooters is putting riders and pedestrians at risk, warn experts who say they should be streamlined to prevent serious injuries.”

Google Street View mapped 2 Sydney boat rides past iconic Australian landmarks

Google has given its Street View cameras a couple of rides on Sydney Ferries, allowing people all over the world to take in, what is in my humble experience, the best way to commute to work in the world!